My Awesome Bro!
by green.chan1
Summary: Gilbert took the poor boy from the hands of death, but it seems other problems await. Just who is he really? And who is this Feliciano? HRE as Germany fic, Some Language and Violence.
1. Prolouge: Fever

The young boy was laying on the ground. He was cold, beaten, and bleeding. Gilbert looked down at the boy, and felt bad for him. But what could he do? Gilbert turned around to leave. The boy was probably already dead by now…

"F-Feliciano…" Gilbert faced the boy again, who had let out a small raspy moan. Gilbert bent over to check for a pulse. It was tiny and faint, but still there. Gilbert cradled the boy in his arms, and dashed back home.

"I'm not letting you die, kid!"

XXXXXXXXXX

The boy had been ill for a week now. His wounds had healed somewhat, but he picked up a bad case of the fever. Gilbert was worried about the boy. "If he's going to die, at least make it quick! This is too much…" he thought. "…I just hope something happens soon." And so, Gilbert visited the boy every day. No matter what his chores were, he came without fail.

The boy had was usually asleep, mumbling the same thing over and over, "Feliciano…since the 900's…always loved you…always…" or sometimes, just that same name, "Feliciano". Gilbert never really knew who that was, but he assumed it was someone very important. Why else would he keep talking about her?

XXXXXXXXXX

Three weeks. Three weeks of checking up on the boy, watching his nightmares continue in the same, horrible pattern every day. Today Gilbert came in, a little earlier than usual, but the boy was sleeping quietly. At first he wondered if God had finally taken him…but then a miracle happened.

The boy's eyes opened.

He turned to look at Gilbert, clearly exhausted, and asked, "Where am I?"

"This is my house. You looked pretty bad so I got some of the servants to look after you until you were better," Gilbert said, fairly casual. "My name's Gilbert, but you'll probably hear a lot of people call me Prussia. What's your name?"

The boy had to think for a while about. "Maybe his mind is just a bit foggy from the fever," Gilbert thought to himself. The boy's answer shocked him.

"I don't know."


	2. Ch1: First Day

Gilbert wasn't completely sure what to say, but he said it anyway. "Can you remember anything?"

The boy was lay there and was silent for a moment, "I was stabbed…and then I was here." The boy was clearly trying as hard as he could to remember.

Gilbert felt bad for him, 'It was the fever that did this… It has to be.' He felt completely, horribly responsible for this. He had to make this right… "That's fine, I'll just call you Ludwig!" Gilbert exclaimed, trying to cheer him up. "You ok with that, kid?"

The boy was taken off guard by Gilbert's sudden cheeriness. "… That's fine with me," he said, a bit embarrassed.

"Alright then, brother! So how are you fe-," Gilbert was cut off.

"…What did you call me?" Ludwig asked, confused.

Gilbert smiled, "I called you brother. As of today, you'll be my little brother!" He rubbed the top of Ludwig's head, "Unless you don't want a big bro…"

Ludwig sat up, "N-no! I would love to be you little brother, Gilbert, honest!"

Gilbert smirked, 'Where'd all that energy come from?'

XXXXXXXX

Gilbert had expected it to be at least a few days before Ludwig would be strong enough to leave his room, but Ludwig had a habit of exceeding those expectations. When he came to visit the next morning, Ludwig was already looking better. "Hey, shouldn't you be resting? You only woke up yesterday," Gilbert said as he walked into the room.

"I've been asleep for weeks. Why would I waste more time resting? I feel fine," Ludwig said frankly.

Gilbert chuckled, "I like your style! But we should still start small. How 'bout I show you around?" Even though Gilbert was acting so calm, he was still really worried about his new brother. He didn't want him to over exert himself and get sick again. 'God anything but that…'

Gilbert led his new brother, Ludwig, around his house, showing him all of the rooms. All along the way the female servants stopping to say how glad they were to see Ludwig doing well, and how cute he was. Ludwig was embarrassed the entire time they did so, but Gilbert could tell he liked it a bit.

Around the end of Gilbert's tour, they came across one of the training fields. "What's over there, brother?" Ludwig asked.

Gilbert smirked, "One of the fields we use to train the soldiers. I go there, too." Gilbert loved the field, he felt at home there. He could release his pent up energy there, after all, he had the need to battle down to the bones.

"You're a soldier?" Ludwig said curiously.

"Yep. I always have been, and always will be," Gilbert stated proudly.

"… I think…that I might have been a soldier before…but I'm not completely sure yet," Ludwig said quietly.

Gilbert was getting interested now. "Really? That would be awesome if it's true! Can you remember anything else, Ludwig?"

Ludwig shook his head, "No…sorry."

Gilbert didn't like seeing him get depressed like that. "Hey it's fine! There's not any rush or anything, right?"

"I guess you're right," Ludwig said, cheering up a little bit.

Gilbert patted Ludwig on the back, "Come on, it's almost time dinner. You're probably pretty hungry, right?"

"Y-yeah, dinner sounds good."

Gilbert swept Ludwig off of his feet, propping him onto his shoulders. "Well then let's go!"

"Hey, big brother," Ludwig said from atop Gilbert, "are we having wurst again? It was really tasty."

"I'm sure we will, Ludwig. They know what you like."

"……Thanks for taking such good care of me, brother."

Gilbert smiled. "You're welcome, Ludwig."


	3. Ch 2: The Hunt

Gilbert and Ludwig stood in the middle of the west-training hall, both with small wooden swords. "What are we doing, Gilbert?" Ludwig asked, staring at his sword.

Gilbert spun his sword. "You said you remembered being a solider, right?" Ludwig nodded. "I kinda wanted to test it. You know, see how you do with a sword."

"What do you expect me to do?" Ludwig asked.

Gilbert snorted, "Just charge at me, and I'll block it and return the blow. You just have to do the same thing, just don't feel too bad if you beaten the first few times." Gilbert readied his sword, "Anytime, lil' bro."

Ludwig was practically a flash as he charged Gilbert, training sword in hand. Gilbert just barely blocked his first blow. The second shot came even quicker, stopping at Gilbert's throat. If they were using real swords he'd be dead by now. Ludwig exceeded expectations yet again.

But Ludwig looked just as surprised as Gilbert was. "I guess I _was _a solider before."

"You're pretty damn good," Gilbert said, mentally reminding himself to watch his mouth around kids. "You even be as good as me someday."

Ludwig tilted his head sideways, "But I didn't I beat you?"

Gilbert blushed, "um…I wasn't ready!"

"You looked pretty ready to me."

"L-look, I'm WAY too awesome to lose, especially to a kid! I was holding back the whole time," Gilbert said, flustered. Even though he was half lying. He intended to take it easy on lil'Ludwig, but he was a lot better than he expected. He didn't take Ludwig for being weak, but the kid really could've killed him.

Ludwig never ceased to amaze him.

XXXXXXXX

"Hey, have you seen Ludwig?" Gilbert asked one of the maids.

The maid sighed, "He's been training since daybreak, and it doesn't look like he's gotten anywhere close to quitting," she giggled, "He must have the warrior's blood running strong through his veins."

Gilbert lit up with pride, "Well I have been giving him pointers after all! The kid's just such a little perfectionist, he's been doing this ever since I gave him his first lessons!" Even though Gilbert knew it was more of a refresher course for him. Ludwig may have not remembered any of his training, but, knowing Ludwig, he had probably crushed it into his bones.

Gilbert walked into the training hall and stood against the doorway. Ludwig was so focused on his training that he didn't even notice him.

"He's so strong…It's funny thinking he was on his deathbed only a week ago," Gilbert thought.

Ludwig finally noticed Gilbert after about ten minutes. When he did, he smiled and turned to greet his big brother. "Oh, good morning, brother!"

"Morning! I see you've been training again," Gilbert said happily.

"Yep! If only I could this one move just right…"

Gilbert patted Ludwig on the head; "You won't get better if you don't let yourself rest."

"Not until I've perfected it."

Gilbert sighed, "I know how you feel, but you really do need to rest sometimes. We're not God."

"…I know but…I-I want to be strong like you are brother!"

Gilbert didn't know what to say after all, Ludwig hadn't known him for that long…

_"But right now I'm the only thing he really has."_

"Just be patient, these things take time," Gilbert reassured Ludwig. "Hey, why don't we do something fun?"

"Like what?" Ludwig asked, excited.

Gilbert smirked, "Well, there's this one snob..."

XXXXXXXX

The two brothers hid in the trees, overlooking a very prim, ornate mansion. Gilbert was laughing to himself, with a mischievous glint in his blood red eyes. "You remember what to do, Ludwig?"

Ludwig nodded, "I'll give the signal when I see the scary hag."

Gilbert gave a thumbs-up, "Alright; wish me luck!"

Gilbert sprung in through the open window, and motioned for Ludwig to do the same. Ludwig leapt from the tree and latched onto the windowsill. He didn't climb in as easily as Gilbert did, since he was so small.

They lurked around until Gilbert had found his prey, a very formally dressed brunette with glassed. Gilbert motioned for Ludwig to stay put and made his way to the kill…

Gilbert pinched the brunette's cheeks with a considerable amount of glee, "Kesesesese~! I got you now, aristo-ass!!" Gilbert's laughter filled the halls.

"Prussia, please stop. Hungary has probably heard you by now!" Austria pleaded.

Gilbert laughed, "That hag can't get me today! I've got a secret weapon in my arsenal!!"

Austria sighed, "I don't think it'll be much of a defense against Hungary. You really should leave, Prussia."

"Pfft~ Like I'm ever gonna leave!" Gilbert boasted. "I'm way to awes-"

Tweeeeeeeeeeeeeee~

"Huh?" Gilbert turned around to see Hungary, with her frying pan readied to strike. He rolled out of the way just as it was about to reach his head. But she was relentless and swung around the pan for another blow. Gilbert stumbled up back on his feet and into a run. Ludwig raced along side him.

Gilbert cackled with his amusement, "Better luck next time, hag!" Hungary threw her pan at Gilbert in her rage, but he ducked skillfully. His neck would've snapped in half if he hadn't learned how to do that.

They ran until the mansion was well out of their sights. When they were both sure that Hungary hadn't followed, they dropped to the ground in relief. Both were red in the face, and dripping in sweat.

Ludwig smiled and laughed out loud, "I thought we were dead!"

Gilbert cackled, "That hag's never gonna get me! And she sure as hell's not going to get you!"

They both sat there and laughed until their stomachs were aching.

"What to go back tomorrow?" Gilbert asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Of course!" Ludwig said with a smile.


	4. Ch 3: The Forest Part1

Gilbert and Ludwig had begun to fall into a basic routine. Early in the morning, Ludwig would train while Gilbert was still sleeping. When Gilbert woke up, he would train with his brother until the afternoon. Then they would play together, which would either involve exploring the forests or pranking Austria. To some it may have seemed like such a predictable schedule would have been boring, but that was certainly not the case.

With all of the battle and war Gilbert had gone through, he was glad to finally have a time of normalcy, and he was sure Ludwig enjoyed it, too.

Gilbert looked up at the sky, which was a dark grey. _"…It looks like it might rain,_" he thought, _"…Nah._"

"Big brother, what are we going to do at Austria's house today?" Ludwig asked.

Gilbert stretched and yawned, as he had just gotten up an hour ago. "I don't know. Maybe we can trash the kitchen again," he snickered, "Hungary chased us a lot further than usual that time didn't she?"

Ludwig sighed, "She didn't quit until we made it home."

"Then that proves we did a good job!" Gilbert exclaimed, "Let's go!"

XXXXXXXX

They decided to take the shortcut through the forest, so Hungary wouldn't see them. …But this proved to be a bad idea, as Gilbert didn't seem to have any sense of direction. They wandered around the forest for hours, with no avail.

Gilbert was semi-aware of the situation, and, much to his distress, Ludwig was beginning to notice it, too. He didn't want the boy to worry, so he decided to divert his attention. Gilbert looked around the surrounding trees for something, _anything_, which a kid Ludwig's age could find amusing.

His gaze locked onto something very strange; a small, fluffy yellow bird. Gilbert had never seen something like it before. It was endearingly chubby, but somehow managed to fly around, just like any other bird. ...It reminded him of a baby chicken. Gilbert felt his will weakening by each second he stared at the strange chick… it was just so cute…

Ludwig noticed Gilbert's odd behavior. "What is it brother?"

Gilbert blushed, "Ah, i-it's nothing! Just an odd bird that's all!" he laughed uncomfortably.

Ludwig looked up at the little bird. "It's cute but…wouldn't something that brightly colored have a hard time hiding?"

The idea hit poor Gilbert's will like a brick. Gilbert went over the details in his head_."… It's looks like it's just a baby… It doesn't seem to have a mother; it probably won't survive out here, and it… it just looks so soft…_"

He couldn't take it anymore; even the awesome will of Gilbert was no match for that damn thing. Gilbert gripped a low-lying branch of the tree, and began climbing upwards, like some kind of squirrel.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Ludwig asked from below.

Gilbert clenched his teeth, "I'm going to pat that thing if it's the last thing I do!" He kept climbing, never stopping until he made it to that little chick.

Gilbert stared at the little bird and smiled, "I've got you now…" He reached out his hand to stroke the little bird, but it seemed to be just outside of his reach. He tried and tried again, but it was hopeless. The little bird was just too far away.

Gilbert frowned, "Come on, just a little closer… I just want to pet you." The bird remained still. "Please? I'll give you beer!" The little bird turned it's back on him, making a small 'piyo' as it did so. Gilbert growled, "Oh, so now you're ignoring me! I understand; you're just playing hard to get!" he smirked, "Well I can do that too!" Gilbert turned his head away from the little bird, pretending to ignore it. The little bird remained silent.

"Fine. If you really don't want the honor of me stroking you, then that just fine by me," Gilbert mumbled, starting to climb down the tree.

But something stopped him. He felt a light tap on his shoulder. He looked over, to see a small pair of dark brown eyes staring back. The bird happily snuggled up to Gilbert's cheek, making lots of cheerful 'piyos'.

Gilbert was completely astonished at just how soft the little chick was. He had never felt anything quite like it. He smiled, "I knew you couldn't resist for that long." He looked down to Ludwig, "Check it out Ludwig, I DID IT! Go on, praise me; PRAISE ME~!"

Ludwig sighed, "_Brother is getting a little too excited…_"

Gilbert carefully climbed down the tree, as not to harm the little bird. When he finally made it to the ground, he almost looked like he had found the Holy Grail.

"See, isn't he cute?" Gilbert said, playfully rubbing the chick. "I bet he'll let you pet him."

"Are you sure?" Ludwig asked.

Gilbert nodded, "He seems friendly enough."

Ludwig hesitantly lifted his hand up to the little bird. The chick tilted its head with curiosity. He stroked its head gently, almost as if it could break. The bird squeaked gleefully as Ludwig rubbed its head.

"It really is soft…" Ludwig mumbled. '…_Why does this feel so familiar?_' he wondered

Gilbert chuckled, "The little guy is awesome in his own right!"

"… Yeah I guess he is," Ludwig mumbled. The little bird reminded him of something… but what? He tried desperately to remember, but the effort was making his head throb.

Suddenly, it hit him, making his head spin and stealing his breath away.

XXXXXXXX

_The boy looked down at the servant girl, sleeping peacefully on a dining room chair. Her porcelain skin almost glowed in the dim rays of moonlight; her chestnut hair shimmering brighter than any star he had seen. He smiled to himself, "She's so pretty when she's asleep…" A small curl was in her face, brushing her cheek ever so sweetly. The boy sighed and carefully lifted it away from her face. _

_ "Sleep well… Feliciano," he whispered with a smile. _

XXXXXXXX

"Ludwig, are you even listening?" Gilbert asked. "Hello~"

Ludwig dazedly sunk back into reality, not completely sure of what had just happened. "…I-I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

Gilbert looked concerned, "Nothing important, you just got really spacey for a bit. What happened?"

"… I don't know." Ludwig muttered, rubbing his head. "There was… a… a girl…" For some reason he couldn't think of her name. "She was beautiful."

"Ah! Do you remember anything else?" Gilbert asked eagerly.

Ludwig frowned, "… No… I can barely even remember what she looked like," Which he couldn't completely understand, as he remembered everything perfectly only a few seconds ago.

"Oh well," Gilbert sighed, patting Ludwig's head, "these things take time. Like I said before, there's no rush, right?"

Ludwig smiled, "Right." Gilbert always knew how to comfort him.

"Come on, I'm not letting a bunch of trees ruin our day!" Gilbert exclaimed. "That Austria is going to get pranked **today**! And I don't care what these trees have to say about it!"

* * *

Sorry about the wait… I just wanted to say thank you for all of the page views. It really does mean a lot to me.

And on a side note: 'Happy Birthday, America!' :3


	5. Ch 4: The Forest Part2

Rain pounded the ground, soaking everything down to the last cell. Ludwig, Gilbert, and the little chick, even under the leaves of the tallest trees weren't safe from the downpour. But they it was the best they could manage at the moment, so they tried their best to suck it up.

"Brother," Ludwig asked, looking down at his feet, "when do you think the rain will let up?"

Gilbert shrugged, "Whenever God tells it too." He looked over to Ludwig, seeing that wasn't quite the answer he was looking for. "I-I'm sure it'll stop soon."

Ludwig looked up at what little sky he could actually see, "It's getting dark…"

Gilbert looked up too; it looked like it was getting pretty close to dusk. "You're right. …We should probably keep moving if we want to get out of here before nightfall." He stood up, and the little chick quickly took refuge under the hood of his cloak. That didn't help it too much, but it kept Gilbert's head pleasantly warm.

They wandered the forest, trying to find their way out, but with little success. It almost seemed as if they were going in circles (knowing Gilbert they very well could have been). Gilbert was starting to wonder how well they could make it in the forest for a few days… maybe go live with some fairies or something. He had heard that England guy once made it in out in the wilderness like this for days thanks to those things. He chuckled to himself, "_No wonder he's such a weirdo._"

XXXXXXXX

Night had fallen, but thankfully the rain had stopped, at least for the moment. Gilbert knew that there wouldn't be anyway in hell that there would be any dry wood to burn, so he had convinced Ludwig to get some rest while he kept walking. Ludwig was curled on Gilbert's back, fast asleep. Gilbert smiled; he could really get used to this big brother thing. He liked having someone around every day… it made him feel… not as lonely anymore.

He felt the chick rustle it's way out of his hood, and onto his shoulder. Gilbert smirked, "Ah, so you've finally decided to come out, huh?"

The chick ruffled it's feathers, and surveyed the surroundings. It peeped happily, and flew over to a nearby branch.

"H-hey! What are you doing all the way up there?"

The bird peeped, and flew to another branch further away from Gilbert.

"Oh so you're taunting me now, huh?" He walked up to the tree it was perched in. "Well **nothing **can break through my iron will. NOTHING! I can keep this up all night!"

The chick shook it's bum in his direction, and flew to yet another tree.

Gilbert went after it, but it kept going from tree to tree. He was starting to get very thoroughly annoyed with his little friend's antics. But then, after half an hour of chasing it around, the little chick fluttered back down to Gilbert's shoulder, peeping proudly.

Gilbert sighed, "Great, you've made us even more lost than before. Now how are we suppos-" He stopped midway through his sentence. Just beyond the trees he could see it. Light. Which could only mean one thing; people. And better still, warmth.

He poked the chick's head, "So that's what you were planning! You clever son of a bitch!" He laughed, "I make sure to give you something extra good when we get the chance, ok?"

The chick peeped loudly, nuzzling its cheek against Gilbert's face.

Gilbert walked towards silently, after all, he wasn't completely sure if he was still within his own borders or not. He looked at the building in front of him. It was clearly the home of an aristocrat (a very high ranking one too), as it was **far **too big for anyone without nobility in their blood.

It seemed familiar somehow… and then it dawned on him. This was Austria's house. Gilbert swore under his breath; he should've known it sooner, even in the dark of night. He looked at the windows; only one room was lit. Gilbert had been around the place enough to know that it was the den's fireplace. It was kept continuously lit in order to keep the house warm. "_Good," _he thought, "_they're all asleep._"

He carefully walked around to the back door, and carefully opened to door. Thankfully it was unlocked, as he wasn't sure how he could manage to get through a window with Ludwig on his back. Gilbert easily made his way to the den, using memory and the gentle moon light to guide him.

Gilbert glanced from a corner wall; the room was empty. "_Thank god. I'm not in the mood to be dealing with Hungary right now._" He carefully slid the sleeping Ludwig off of his back, and onto the rug in front of the fire. Gilbert slid off his own cloak and sat down next to him. The little bird found a warm spot next to Ludwig and fell asleep with him. Gilbert, however, fought to keep his eyes open. If Hungary was there, he needed to be able to get out as quickly as possible. He chuckled hollowly; he felt like he was on the battlefield again.

Gilbert leaned against the wall and yawned; "_Damn…It's almost like… living with Germania again…" _He closed his eyes, losing to his own exhaustion.

XXXXXXXX

Gilbert felt a light tug on his sleeve, slowly dragging him away from sleep. He swore to himself; he had fallen asleep on duty. If the situation had been any different he knew he would be dead or worse. He looked down; the chick was fluttering nervously in place. Gilbert vaguely wondered what it was so worried about. He looked up, and very soon realized what was bothering it.

Austria was sitting directly in front of him, quietly sipping a cup of tea. Gilbert was ready to dodge any incoming frying pans, until Austria calmly spoke. "She's away at the moment; you don't have anything to be worried about."

Gilbert lowered his guard, knowing Austria was usually a pretty honest guy. "You sure she isn't hanging on a chandelier or something?"

Austria sighed, "Yes I'm quite sure." He looked at Gilbert's discarded cloak. "What kind of mess did you get yourself into today?"

Gilbert smirked, "Sorry, that info's restricted."

"…You soiled my good rug."

Gilbert looked down at the rug in question, it had become almost as wet as Ludwig and Gilbert had been and a little muddy in places. "… Can't you just get another?"

Austria looked very annoyed, "Will you please just leave?"

"…Fine. I just needed to dry off anyway," Gilbert said casually, lifting Ludwig into his arms. He quietly began to make his way out, until Austria stopped him.

"Prussia…" he muttered.

Gilbert glanced over his shoulder, "Hm? What is it?"

"…Take this." He handed a small, light brown blanket to him.

"What's this? Afraid I'll catch a cold?" Gilbert laughed coldly, "I'm no pansy, unlike you."

"I never said that it was for you," he said, matter of fact. "It's for the child." He motioned towards Ludwig. "…I just thought he might rest better with it."

Gilbert scoffed, "He's no pansy either," he glanced at his little brother, "…but thanks."

Gilbert wrapped Ludwig in the blanket and left the mansion, almost as quickly as he had came in.

Austria sat back down on his couch, picked up his tea, and sighed. He had **a lot **of questions for Prussia. But still, even though he had no idea how or why…he was just glad to know that the Holy Roman Empire was in safe hands. …Actually…never mind. Prussia was probably one of the worst parents he could imagine.

And so, poor Austria worried about that for the rest of the night.


	6. Ch 5: Bad Company

Ludwig sat on the staircase, overlooking the hustle and bustle going around the castle. Servants carried various crates of extravagant foods, and the maids were making preparations in the dining hall. He noticed them chatting amongst themselves whenever they had the chance, causing them to frequently burst into excited giggles. Ludwig wondered why women got excited so easily, but decided to ignore the thought. He had asked Gilbert about it once. He said that if Hungary was like any typical girl, then he **really **didn't want to know. Ludwig decided to take his word on that.

He turned and looked out the window. Faint white flakes of snow trying to make their way to the ground, but were blown away just before they could reach it. Ludwig smiled, even though he wasn't entirely sure why. "I wonder if she's watching the snow, too?" he asked no one in particular. "… I hope you'll have a nice winter too, …" Ludwig grasped for her name, but, as always, couldn't even find a single letter of it.

He was about to try to find it again, when he felt a familiar hand pat him on the head.

Gilbert smirked, "Daydreaming again?" Ludwig blushed, but said nothing. Gilbert chuckled, "Hey now, no need to get your pants in a bunch! Anyway, I wanted to do me a favor."

"What is it?"

"… You know that some friends' a coming over tonight, right?" Ludwig nodded. "Yeah well… can you promise me to stay away from one of them for me?"

"I guess so but why, exactly…?" Ludwig asked.

Gilbert tried to think how to explain, but he honestly wasn't sure how he could go about it without destroying what innocence the boy had left. "Um…well… Sometimes he's... a little _too_ friendly if you get what I mean…"

"I really don't."

"… He's French."

"Oh! I get it now."

"I knew you would."

XXXXXXXX

Unfortunately, curiosity had gotten the better of him. Ludwig (who was safely hidden behind a wall) watched Gilbert's friends as they came in through the main entrance. The first one to enter was a fit, olive-skinned young man, who appeared to be around Gilbert's age. Ludwig noted that despite his skin tone, he had vivid green eyes.

Ludwig looked over to the other young man. He was tall, with a bit of stubble across his chin and wavy blond hair. The man carried an overall air of arrogance around him, which was near constantly fed by the lust-struck glances of the maids. This lent him a very snobbish demeanor. Ludwig wasn't sure how Gilbert could get along with someone like that, but assumed that he wasn't good with first impressions.

The trio began to make their way to the dining room, so Ludwig quickly snuck into a nearby broom closet. He held his breath, and waited for the sound of their footsteps to die down. Ludwig peeked through crack of the door, first left, and then to the right. The coast was clear. He hastily tiptoed after them, taking care to make sure no one would hear. Ludwig knew that Gilbert would be upset if he caught him. But Ludwig wanted to see what they were doing. He focused as hard as he could onto their conversation, and eventually was able to make out what they were saying.

"So, have you heard anything about Italy?" asked the blond. "I've been wondering about how he's been, but _she_ keeps chasing me off…"

The olive-skinned stranger laughed, "Well maybe if you didn't always act so obscene you'd be able to go over there more often."

"It's not my fault Austria's just so appealing~"

Gilbert chuckled, "You sound like a stalker."

The olive-skinned one chuckled.

"Hm… I probably do, but honestly I don't care anymore," the blond said nonchalantly, "As long as the women back home don't know, I'm fine with it."

"Oh, so you really do like women. I never would've guessed," Gilbert teased.

The blond sighed, "You've always been such an ass."

"I know. But don't you love me for it?"

The three laughed.

The olive-skinned one sighed, "I wonder how long we'll have before our bosses decide to start something again?"

"Not long; they're probably talking things over right now…" the blond was suddenly reminiscent, like an old man. "Everyone ends up finding a way, no matter who ends up in power… It's a little depressing."

"Yeah… " Gilbert mumbled.

The other two fell silent with shock. "…H-hey Prussia, did you just say…?"

Gilbert quickly realized what he just said. "Uh…W-well…yeah…I guess…"

"Wow, what's with the sudden change in attitude?" the olive-skinned one asked, "Are you seeing someone or something?"

Gilbert laughed, "Like hell I am! It's just…I don't really want to leave just yet…" he sighed, "I guess you could say I feel responsible for something, that's all."

The blond one chuckled, "It sounds like you're growing up."

"Hey, you make it sound like I'm a kid," Gilbert said, irritated. "I'm not settling down just yet, old man."

The olive-skinned spoke up, "Hey, you don't have to start calling names! Besides, I'm sure we'll be fine. After all, you're pretty much more of an army than a nation anyway. You've always been fine at war!"

Ludwig felt a lump in his throat. "_What…? Big brother is going to be… gone?_" Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was overreacting, but still. Ludwig was still a child. And Gilbert was all he knew. He sat down, and buried his head in his arms.

"_What am I supposed to do?_"

* * *

DEAR GOD. I. HAVEN'T. DONE. SHIT. FOR. _MONTHS!_

There's no excuse for that. All I can say is:

I'm sorry for being such a lazy ass.

BTW: I'm thinking of making another one-shot. Anyone have any preferred couples that they'd like to see? Let me know! :)


	7. Ch 6: Because You Exist

The snow kept falling. Everything outside was dusted with it, covering the trees like ashes. Ludwig sighed; it made everything seem so sad. He sat in a far upper level of the home, alone. The old bedroom in which he sat was dusty and the air was stale, but he found it comforting, in a way. Boxes containing who-knows-what were stacked all around the room. Ludwig hadn't really thought about looking to see what was inside them.

"Gilbert's is going..." Ludwig thought, "but why am I getting so worked up? I knew that he would have to go eventually…" Ludwig knew it all too well. But… how? Ludwig answered that himself.

"Because I am a country."

Ludwig didn't know why he said that. The thought had come out of nowhere, but… he knew it was true. "Then… Gilbert must be a country, too," he thought. "Maybe those other guys are like us." The more he thought about this, the more sense it made. He even felt like he had seen them before, especially the blond…

Ludwig's head began to ache; he knew what that meant: another memory.

XXXXXXXX

_Rain poured from the sky, turning the earth bellow into mud. The boy worried for a moment that one of the carts in the convoy would get stuck. He did not want to stop. He wanted the war to be over. He wanted to __see _her _again. She was the only thing that was keeping him going. It felt like she was the only thing that had ever kept him going anymore._

_He was going to see her again. He promised her when he left Austria. The boy smiled, "Next time I see her, she'll be crying tears of joy." The boy could remember her perfectly. Short brown hair, smooth skin, a wonderful smile… and her eyes were unlike anything he had ever seen, even though she usually kept them shut (maybe she was just squinting?). But when she opened them, they made the world stop. Those eyes of hers… the boy could've sworn they were magic. They almost looked like they were made of gold. He'd never seen anything like them._

_The boy tightly gripped her deck brush like a security blanket. It was his only treasure. Everything else he was gone now, even the portrait he made of her… But it didn't matter anymore. He still had his sword and the clothes on his back. They were all he needed to get back to her…_

XXXXXXXX

Ludwig was confused. How come he could remember that girl in such vivid detail, but not even know what his own name was? And how did he know Austria? He hadn't seemed familiar when he fist saw him… was he a country too? "He must have been," Ludwig thought, "it's the only explanation that makes any sense."

But…why did seeing the blond make him remember?

Ludwig's head began to ache again, and new images filled his mind. But these were different than before…

XXXXXXXX

_The sky was dark; the ground had turned to mud. The few soldiers left in the empire's, the boy's, army were still fighting. They still clung onto what was left of their country, and so they continued on. Foolishly, they continued to fight a losing battle. The boy fought along side them as a brother-in-arms. But now he was facing something no man could ever even hope to defeat alone. He was against a nation._

_His head was pounding._

He felt the pain of his men.

_He was bleeding._

His empire was dwindling away to nothing.

_He did not want to die._

Did he even have any territory left?

_He wanted to live._

The Empire had to survive.

_He looked up at his enemy. Tall, blond…his uniform sullied with flecks of dirt and blood. He looked tired, even though his blows had not weakened over the course of their fight. The boy blocked a blow from the left, their blades leaving a piercing clang that made the boy's head spin. _

_He made a jab for the blonde's stomach, leaving himself open. The blonde nation took his chance, and plunged his sword into the boy's __stomach. He fell to the ground, clutching the hole in his gut, trying to stop the bleeding, hopeless as it was. The boy looked up at his enemy. His blue eyes were filled with pity._

_The opposing nation kneeled next to the poor, crumbling empire, and gave him a final message._

_"I'm sorry it had to end like this… but my boss put me under some very strict orders. And you know how that goes…" He sighed deeply, "I…I wonder if, maybe someday, we'll get to fight over Feli again. You know…like when we were younger…"_

_The boy attempted to smile through his blood-caked lips. "heh…No way…France…she always hated…watching us fight…" the boy felt a tear run down his cheek, "She always…hated…seeing people…get hurt…" The tears were flowing freely now. He had no strength left to hold them back. _

_"F-feli…ciano…"_

_She was waiting for him._

_But he couldn't keep his promise to her…_

The Empire could not survive.

_And she would keep on waiting but..._

_He could never come back._

The Empire was crumbling.

_Tears poured from his eyes;_

_He didn't want to leave._

_He wanted to see her smiling face_

_One last time…_

The Holy Roman Empire was no more.


End file.
